“McLaren is a step ahead, behind we are all close”: Fred Vasseur shares straightforward assessment from the Australian GP

McLaren kicked off the 2025 F1 season on a high, with Lando Norris winning the Australian Grand Prix. Meanwhile, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur shared his honest assessment of the race, saying the Papaya team is a step ahead of the rivals in terms of pace.

The 2025 F1 season began with an entertaining Australian Grand Prix, as rain led to slippery conditions at the Albert Park circuit, leading to chaos and six DNFs.

The Papaya team, however, had the fastest two cars running around the track. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri held podium positions before the latter ran off the track on lap 44. However, Norris defended Max Verstappen right until the last lap to clinch a victory.

On the other hand, Ferrari had an underwhelming weekend, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finishing P8 and P10, respectively.

After the race, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur opined that McLaren are steering clear and ahead of the rivals in terms of raw pace. Talking to the media, he said:

"Thinking of the quali pace, I think we were always slower than McLaren. Today, we were probably on the pace of Mercedes. It’s difficult to bring anything out of this race; it wasn’t the right strategy. Now let’s focus on the next one. Mclaren is a step ahead; behind, we are all close."

Ferrari was quick to an extent, but their strategy was flawed. They allowed Leclerc and Hamilton to stay out on track on slick tires in wet conditions while others pitted under the safety car for intermediate compound.

Shortly after lap 41, rain got heavier, and Ferrari had to pit both drivers for inters, leading to a loss in position. This marked an end of a difficult weekend for the Italian team as they now aim to regroup for the Chinese Grand Prix.

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McLaren's Lando Norris reflects on Australian GP win: 'A little bit stressful'

McLaren driver Lando Norris wins 2025 Australian GP (Image Source: Getty)

Lando Norris won the opening race of the 2025 F1 season in Australia under extreme wet conditions. He kept four-time world champion Max Verstappen at bay to finish P1. However, after the race, the Brit revealed that he hit the gravel in the rain, which damaged his car.

Talking to media, he said (via Racingnews365):

"It was a tough race, especially with Max behind me, I was pushing, it was a little bit stressful, I am not going to lie. We went off, made some big mistakes, I went through the gravel and caused a lot of damage, but these are the ones that are enjoyable and unpredictable, but this time we got it right and ended on top."

The track was extremely slippery in the second half of the race, and both Norris and Oscar Piastri made mistakes. However, Norris recovered well to get him and his team, McLaren, the first win of the season.